Recorded in 2010, Andy Hunter’s album Think Like A Mountain features a New York all-star jazz lineup including Alex Sipiagin (trumpet), Jason Marshall (baritone saxophone), David Kikoski (keyboard), Boris Kozlov (acoustic bass) and Danny Fischer (drums).
Here are some recent reviews of the albums by major Jazz Publications:
“The material ranges from funereal and atmospheric to harmonically rich and aggressive. Hunter has a penchant for writing chorale-like horn passages that pop up in various places and make the music glow; he gets three horns to sound like five and fills the sonic space without overcrowding it. He hits the jackpot in completely different games, with eye-opening trombone work. Think Like A Mountain makes it easy to understand why Hunter is such a hot commodity.”
(Excerpted from All About Jazz article by Dan Bilawsky)
“Somewhere between a colorful, lazy, late-night band and a punch-drunk, post-Frank Zappa, riff-blowing fun-house, Hunter’s tribe executes his clever arrangements and rich voicings with a gleeful sense of full body immersion. Hunter, trumpeter Alex Sipiagin and baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall play like separate fingers from the same hand.”
(Excerpted from DownBeat Magazine article by Ken Micallef)
“Grounded in the creative methods of Mingus and Holland more than anybody else, Hunter put together a band to sketch out his vision of mainstream jazz that is adventurous enough to stand apart from the mainstream, but not so much to lose sight of its virtues. The choice of a Rhodes over a Piano is a crucial one, where the rest of the band is acoustic. The resonance and pliability of the instrument moves the music in different direction than if an acoustic piano way employed, and how it works with the all that brass is joyful noise, and the combination is exploited a number of different ways. Hunter expresses himself in such imaginative ways that are both rangy and fresh. At times Hunter’s sorrowful utterances show the influence of former mentor Robin Eubanks, intertwining so naturally with band mate Alex Sipiagin’s trumpet.”
(Excerpted from Something Else article by S. Victor Aaron)
“Trombonist Andy Hunter leads a cooking little post bop sextet with some interesting front line sounds. Except for a couple standards, all of the material is penned by Hunter, and the feel has a nice earthy drive to it. The mix of trombone, trumpet and bari sax make for some great textures… well conceived charts for the ears, and nice cruising for the feet.”
(Excerpted from Jazz Weekly article by George W. Harris)
